Carbureter.



No. 768,801. PATENTED AUG. 30, 1904.

W. HOOKER.

GARBURETER. APPLICATION FILED JULY 31, 1903.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEETl.

Wlfnessas "n 02? mm mam-A 5mm W No. 768,801. PATENTED AUG. 30, 1904;.

W.-HO0KER.

GARBURETER. APPLICATION FILED JULY 31, 1903.

N0 MODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 UNITED STATES Patented August 30, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WVILLIAM HOOKER, OF SOUTH NORl/VOOD, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR TO THE FLAMELESS GAS LIGHT COMPANY, LIMITED, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

CARBURETER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 768,801, dated August 30, 1904.

Application filed July-31, 1903. Serial No. 167,766. (No model.) I

T0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TILLIAM HOOKER, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at 210 Portland road, South Norwood, Surrey, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in Oarbureters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in obtaining and storing a supply of air under pressure, the said air being carbureted either before or after storage for illuminating purposes, and also in regulating the supply of the compressed air or gas in accordance with the consumption of the latter.

According to the invention a gas-holder of ordinary construction has compressed or blown into it the hot exhaust-air from a hotair engine Which drives the blower. The hot air before being conveyed to the gas-holder may be passed through a carbureter of a suitable construction, where it absorbs a quantity of hydrocarbon and becomes weakly carbureted, so as to form a combustible mixture suitable for illuminating purposes, or the hot air may be itself stored in the gas-holder and be carbureted on its passage from the said holder to the burners, where it is consumed.

The hot-air engine receives its heat from a burner fed with the carbureted air, the supply of the said vapor being controlled by a cock or valve which is partially shut of]? by the sliding bell of the gas-holder when the latter reaches its uppermost position, indicating that the gas-holder has received its full complement of gas. A portion of the air which is passed through the blower is conveyed into a passage or pipe extending underneath the carbureter, the end of the pipe being open to the atmosphere. By this means the hydrocarbon contained in the carbureter is maintained at a suitable temperature for the efficient carburization of the air passing through it. A cock or valve is provided in the branch pipe supplying the air to the space underneath the carbureter in order that the flow of the air through this outlet can be controlled. The flow of air to the gas-holder can also be automatically shut off by a cock in connection with the sliding bell of the gas-holder.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is 5 a side elevation of a suitable arrangement for carrying out the invention; and Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof, partially in section. Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. l, showinga modified construction.

a is the hot-air engine, which may be of any suitable construction, and Z) is the blower, which is also of any suitable known construction and is driven from the hot-air engine by means of the belt 0.

B is a water tank or receptacle containing water for cooling the cylinder of the hot-air engine, to which it is connected by suitable pipes, as shown. (Z is the pipe through which the spent air 5 from the hot-air engine a is induced by the blower b, and e is the main outlet from the blower for conveying the air from the blower to the gas-holder f, which may be of ordinary construction.

. 7 In Figs. 1 and 2 of the arrangement illustrated in the drawings the carbureter g is placed in the pipe 6 between the blower Z) and the gas-holder f, although, as above described, the said carbureter may be placed between the gas-holder and the burners, where the vapor is to be consumed. This carbureter may be of any suitable construction, such as that shown, and wherein the air which passes through it is caused to pursue a circuitous or serpentine path in order that it may take up sufficient vapor. The carbureter g is shown fitted in a by-pass g to the pipe 0, and a cock 6 is fitted in the said pipe 6 and a cook it in the by-pass, so that by adjusting these cocks 5 the relative quantities of air which flow, respectively, through the pipe 0 and the by-pass g can be controlled to regulate the strength of the ultimate mixture obtained. A represents a supply-tank for hydrocarbon liquid 9 connected to the carbureter in a well-known way to maintain a constant level therein. 2' is the branch pipe from the pipe 0, which branch conveys a portion of the air leaving the blower I) to the passage underneath the carbureter g, whence it escapes through holes f. This branch pipe 2' is provided with a cock in, by means of which the quantity of air forced through the same can be regulated. The sliding bell f of the holder is in connection by a chain 6 with a cock on. upon the pipe (1, so as to shut off the flow of air to the said holder when the sliding bell f reaches its uppermost position. 21 is the outlet-pipe from the gas-holder fto the burners, and 0 is a pipe branching from the said pipe a and which supplies mixture to the burner p and the combustion of which vapor supplies the nec essary heat to the hot-air engine a. This pipe 0 has a cock 0, which is in connection by a chain 0 with the sliding bellf' of the gas-holder, so that the supply of gas to the burner 72 can also be partially shut off when the holder is full.

The apparatus operates as follows that is to say, the engine a being started drives the blower b, which draws the hot exhaust-air from the engine a and forces it through the pipe c to the gas-holder f, the said hot air being carbureted on its way to the holder. A portion of the air is also discharged through the branch pipe 2' into the passage f beneath the carbureter, the hydrocarbon within which is thereby heated. The mixture which flows into the gas-holdcrf is withdrawn through the pipe 1 for consumption. When now the consumption is less than the supply, the sliding bell f rises ultimately to such an extent that it operates the cooks m and r/, thus controlling the supply of mixture to the gasholder f and also to the burner p. The result of this is that the speed of the engine (0 decreases, both from the fact that it is working against a greater pressure and also that the heat supplied to it is diminished. The speed of the engine can also be controlled by the cock l', by shutting which the speed is reduced.

In Fig. 3 of the drawingsI have illustrated the modilication of my invention previously referred to, in which the blower discharges directly into the storage-tank or gas-holder, from which the heated fluid passes to the carbureter on its way to the main. In this figure, (4 represents the hot-air engine, 7/ the blower, driven therefrom by belt 0, B the cooling-tank, f the storage-tank, g the 'arbureter, A the hydrocarbon-supply tank thereof, all constructed as hereinbefore described. c is a pipe leading from the blower directly to the storage-tank f and a pipe 0 leads from said tank to the carbureter and communicates therewith by means of pipes 5 the latter being provided with a valve 71/, and the pipe 1;" is provided with valve The pipe 0 is provided with cut-off valve on, connected by chain Z to the bell f' of the storage-tank. n represents the main connected to pipe beyond the carbureter. 0 is a pipe from the main to burner 21 for operating the engine a, and said pipe is provided with cut-off valve 0, connected by chain If with the hell f. i is a branch pipe from the blower connected to the passage beneath the carbureter for warming it. All the parts shown in this ligure operate substantially identically with the corresponding parts shown in the other figures except that the heated fluid from the engine is forced into the storage tank first and passes thence through the carbureter and the main in accordance with the demand upon the main.

By utilizing hot air for carburization it is possible to employ heavier hydrocarbon than would otherwise be the case, thus rendering the generation of gas by this method more economical. Furthermore, the elliciency of the apparatus is increased by heating the carbureter. Both these objects are attained by the above-described method in a very simple manner and without the use of special means, as the air which is obtained from the hot-air engine is of the requisite temperature and does not require to be specially heated.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same to be performed, I declare that what I claim is--- 1. In apparatus for generating combustible vapor, the combination of a hot-air engine, a blower driven thereby and operatively connected therewith, to withdraw heated air from said engine, and a carbureter through which the air from said blower is passed, substantially as described.

2. In apparatus for generating combustible vapor, the combination of a hot-air engine, a blower driven thereby and operatively connected therewith to withdraw heated air from said engine, a storage receptacle o-r holderfor receiving the air from the blower and a carbureter connected with said storage-receptacle, substantially as described.

3. In apparatus for generating combustible vapor, the combination of a hot-air engine, a blower driven thereby and operatively connected therewith to withdraw heated air from said engine, a carbureter connected to said blower, a storage receptacle or holder connected to said carbureter and having a sepa- I rate connection with said blower, substantially as described.

4. In apparatus for generating combustible vapor, the combination of a hot-air engine, a blower driven thereby and operatively connected therewith to withdraw heated air from said engine, a carbureter connected to said blower, a storage receptacle or holder connected to said carbureter and having a separate connection with said blower, and valves in said connections for regulating the proportion of hydrocarbon in the air, substantially as described.

5. In apparatus for generating combustible vapor, the combination of a hot-air engine, a blower driven thereby and operatively connected therewith to withdraw hot air there from, a storage receptacle or holder for re- ICC ceiving the hot air, a carbureter connected with the storage-receptacle, and a burner for operating the hot-air engine, operatively connected with said parts so as to receive carbureted air therefrom, substantially as described.

6. In apparatus for generating combustible vapor, the combination of a hot-air engine, a blower driven thereby and operatively connected therewith to withdraw hot air therefrom, a storage receptacle or holder for recoiving the hot air, a carbureter connected with the storage-receptacle, a burner for operating the hot-air engine operatively connected with said parts so as to receive carbureted air therefrom, a valve controlling said burner, and operative connections between said valve and said storage receptacle or holder for automatically controlling said valve, substantially as described.

7. In apparatus for generating combustible vapor, the combination with ahot-air engine, of a blower driven thereby and connected therewith to withdraw hot air therefrom, a storage-receptacle provided with a movable part adapted to receive the air from said blower, a carbureter for said air, a valve controlling the supply of air to the storage receptacle or holder and a connection between the said valve and the movable part of said valve, substantially as described.

8. In apparatus for generating, and controlling the supply of, combustible vapor, the combination of a hot-air engine, a blower driven thereby and which withdraws the exhaust-air from the said engine, a carbureter which receives the air from the blower, a holder for receiving the carbureted air and a branch pipe from the blower for supplying air for heating the. carbureter, substantially as hereinbefore described.

9. In apparatus for generating, and controlling the supply of, combustible vapor, the combination of a hot-air engine, a blower driven thereby and which withdraws the exhaust-air from the engine, a carbureter which receives the air from the blower, a holder in which the carbureted air is stored and which supplies vapor to the burners and to a burner holder, for automatically controlling said for heating the hot-air engine, and of cocks in the supply-pipes to the holder and to the engine-burner, the said cocks being controlled by the sliding bell of the holder, substantially as, and for the purpose, hereinbefore described.

WILLIAM HOOKER. Witnesses:

ALFRED NUTTING, FREDK. L. RAND. 

